Seed harvesting machine



Sept. 12, 1933. A, JONES 1,926,388

SEED HARVESTING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 10, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Jmmoz Alert Mjnes Sept. 12', 1933. A, JONES 1,926,388

SEED HARVESTING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 10, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 vAMert JVEJ/zes,

firm new Sept. 12, 1933. Q JONES SEED HARVESTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet3 Original Filed Sept.

3 *wuwvhoc ,ALZZert 77f James,

Patented Sept. 12, 1933 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Divided. and thisapplication December 31, 1929. Serial No. 417,743

11 Claims.

The invention is for a seed harvesting machine.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a seed harvestingmachine for harvesting the seed of plants and more particularly theseeds of plants planted in rows, such for instance as lettuce, onions,beets and the like.

Another objection of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter indicated that may be moved along the rows of plants forharvesting the seed whereby the seed stalks may be gently guided withoutunnecessary jarring into the body of the device where they may be actedupon to dislodge the seed from the seed pods and collected in areceptacle from which they may be readily moved for packing or storing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seed harvesting deviceof the character indicated wherein the seed stalks of the plants in arow may be gently guided into the body of the harvester while theharvester is passed along and parallel with the row of plants and theseed stalks beaten andagitated for dislodging the seeds from the seedpods without injury to the seed or the breaking of the plant.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seed harvesting deviceof the character indicated wherein the harvester may-be passed over arow of seed plants and the plants guided into the body of the harvesterand the seed dislodged from the seed pods by beaters operated by thewheel of the harvester while being passed over the plants. v

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterindicated that may be propelled by hand, drawn by an animal, orpropelled by a gasoline motor.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularlypointed out in the claims.

A copending application for seed harvesters and directed to the methodof harvesting lettuce seed was filed Sept. 10, 1928, under Serial No.304,901, ofwhich the present application is a division.

In the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the seed harvester.

Figure 2 is an elevation taken from the opposite side thereof.

Figure 3 is a top plan view with the top of the body portion removed.

Figure 4 is a side elevation with the side of the body portion removedin order to show the internal mechanism.

55 Figure 5 is a'fragmentary sectionof the seed collecting troughshowing the upwardly turned front end thereof.

Figure 6 is a front end view.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary enlarged detail showing the beater, guidearm, and upturned end of 80 the trough.

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional detail.

Referring to the drawings:

Reference character 10 indicatesthe body 0 the improved harvester whichis preferably made of sheet metal having a perpendicular wall 11, a topwall 12 and an inwardly and downwardly inclined wall 13. The inwardlyand downwardly inclined wall 13 extends to a point slightly below thebottom of the perpendicular wall 11 and terminates in a perpendicularportion 14 to which is secured in any suitable manner a seed collectingtrough 15, preferably, though not necessarily, outlining a sector incross section. To the for- Ward end of the wall 11 is secured theforwardly 7i and outwardly extending guide arm 16 which is for thepurpose of positioning to one side the plants P in a row intermediatethe adjacent wheel and the plants in such manner as to gently bend theplant stalk inwardly of the harvester body and guide it through thespace 17 forming a passageway between the bottom of wall 11 and the topofthe trough 15 forcing the top H of the seed stalk into spaced relationwith the inwardly and downwardly inclined wall 13 and into 86 the pathof rotation of heaters 18 for beating and vibrating the seed stalk todislodge the seeds from the seed pods against the inwardly anddownwardly inclined wall 13 when they will descend by gravity into theseed collecting trough 15.

It will be understood that the space 17 extends throughout the entirelength of the body of the harvester'and is open at its rear end. Theforward end of the bottom of the trough 15 is curved upwardly as at 19for the purpose of preventing wasting of the seed by-spilling. The rearend wall 20 of the seed collecting trough may be in the form of a hingedgate for conveniently removing the seed collected therein therefrom. Thebody 10 is supported in spaced relation to the ground by the yokedesignated by reference character 21 generally and comprises downwardlyextending portions 22 which are twisted 180 intermediate the ends as at23 and have secured thereto outwardly extending journal brackets 24. Thelower ends of journalbrackets 24 and portions 22 having registeringapertures therethrough for the introduction of axles 25 upon whichwheels Z'I'and 27a are journaled.

The body 10 is secured to the yoke 21 by means of clevises 26 which spanthe yoke and pass through the top wall of the body 10 and are secured tocleats 28 and 29 which are preferably made of wood and are positioned inthe respective angles of the top and side walls of the body 10. Theseclevises may be secured to the cleats in any of the well known ways.

The body 10 is provided with bands 30 which are preferably made of angleiron for lending rigidity to the body and brace rods 31 attached attheir upper ends to the angle of the angle iron 30 and adjacent the topthereof are attached at their lower and converging ends to bearingbrackets 24 for bracing the bearing brackets. Sup porting members 32,33, and 34 extend transversely of the body and are afiixed to, theundersides of cleats 28 and 29. Shaft 35 is 'journaled in brackets 36and 37 afiixed to the transverse supporting members 33 and 34 andextends beyond the outer face of the wall 13 and has affixed theretosprocket wheel 36a. Shaft 35 is provided at its inn rend with bevel gear37a which is in constant mesh with bevel gear 38 carried by drivingshaft 39 which extends through the rear end wall 40 of the body and hasaffixed thereto belt wheel 41 which is operably related by belt 42 tobelt wheel 43 afiixed to the outer end of the beater shaft 44 which isprovided with a beater 45 for beating the heads H of the plant P todislodge therefrom the seeds'within the seed pods of the plant, causingthe seed to descend by gravity over the inner face of wall 13 into theseed collecting trough 15. Wheel 27 is provided with sprocket 46 whichis operably related to sprocket wheel 36a by sprocket chain 47.

From the foregoing description of the seed harvester, it will be readilyseen that when the harvester is moved over a row of seed plants causingthe rotation of wheel 27 that rotation will be imparted to shaft 35through sprocket chain 47 passingover sprocket wheel 36a.

Carried by the end of the shaft 85 which will result in the rotation ofshaft 39, belt wheel 41, belt wheel 43 and beater shaft 44, causing thebeater blades to intermittently strike the head H of the plant Pknocking it against the inclined wall 13 from which it will be reboundby reason of the resistance of the plant stem when it will again beknocked by a heater blade against the wall 13 throughout the length oftime it takes for a plant stalk to pass through the entire length of thebody of the harvester, thus effectively and positively threshing theripe seed from the seed podsof the plants and depositing them in theseed collecting trough 15. When the rear end of the body of theharvester has passed beyond a plant in a row, the plant will immediatelyresume. an upright position, when after a lapse of suitable time for theunripened seed remaining in the pods of the plant to ripen, theharvester may again be run over the plants for thegpurpose of collectingthe seeds which have ripened during the interim between the firstharvesting and the second and soon until the last of the seeds of theplants have been harvested.

The improved seed harvester as illustrated in the drawings is providedwith shafts 48 and 49 positioned to one side of the body 10. The shaft.48 being bent inwardly toward the body 10 and be drawn by a draftanimal. The device however, may be provided with the customary handlesfor agricultural implements for pushing the harvester over the plants,or a gasoline motor or the like may be provided for propulsion.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: i

1. A wheeled seed harvester comprising a body portion having a top, avertical wall and an inwardly and downwardly inclined wall, the lastnamed wall extending slightly below the bottom of the first named wall,a trough supported by the last named wall and below the bottom of thefirst named wall, a forwardly and outwardly curved guide arm affixed tothe front face of the vertical wall, a rotatable beater positionedwithin the body portion and operably related to one of the wheels.

2. A wheeled seed harvester comprising a body portion having a top, avertical wall and an inwardly and downwardly inclined wall, the lastnamed wall extending slightly below the bottom of the first named wall,a trough supported by the last named wall and below the bottom of thefirst named wall, the outer side of said trough being in verticalalignment with the vertical wall,

by the last named wall and below the bottom of the first named wallpthebottom of the trough being curved upwardly at its forward end, aforwardly and outwardly curved guide arm afiixed to the front face ofthe vertical wall, and a 1'0- tatable beater positioned within the bodyportion and operably related to;one of the wheels.

4. A seed harvester comprising a body portion having a passagewayextending through one side and adjacent the bottom. thereof, a bodysupporting yoke, wheels journaled in the, yoke, a trough within the bodyportion and below the passageway and a beater within the body portionand above the trough, said beater being operably related to one of thewheels.

5. A seed harvester comprising a body portion 7 having a passagewayextending through one side and adjacent the bottom thereof, a bodysupporting'yoke, wheels journaledin the yoke, a trough within the bodyportion and below the passageway, a beater within the bodyportion andabove the trough, said beater being operably related to one of thewheels, and a guide arm secured to one side of the body portion andabove the passage way.

6. A seed harvester comprising a bodyportion,

said body portion having a top, a vertical wall and an inwardly anddownwardly inclined wall extending to a point below the vertical wall,the inwardly and downwardlyinclined wall terminating in a verticalportionat its lower end, a trough secured to the said vertical portion andbelow the said vertical wall, a guide arm extending from the front ofthe vertical wall, a yoke for supporting the body portion, wheelsjournaled in theyoke, and a beater positioned within the body portionand above the trough, said beater being operably related to one of thewheels.

7. A seed gathering device including a housing a r n ed to bedrawn alonethe round in paral- 1- i lel and close relationship to one side of a rowof plants to be acted on; the ends and bottom of the housing being open,a trough under and spaced from the bottom of the housing and mounted inconnection therewith on one side; there being a continuous slot betweenthe bottom of the housing and the top of the trough along one side ofthe trough, means for deflecting the tops of the plants laterally intothe housing through said slot with the forward movement of the device,and means in the housing for removing the seeds from said tops whilethus deflected.

8. A structure as in claim '7, in which said deflecting means comprisesan arm projecting forwardly and outwardly from the front of the housingat the top of the slot.

9. A seed gathering device including a housing arranged to be drawnalong the ground in parallel and close relationship to one side of a rowof plants to be acted on; the ends and bottom of the housing being open,a trough under and spaced from the bottom, of the housing and mounted inconnection therewith on one side; there being a continuous slot betweenthe bottom of the housing and the top of the trough along one side ofthe trough, means for deflecting the tops of the plants laterally intothe housing through said slot with the forward movement of the device,and a beater structure mounted in the housing lengthwise thereof anddisposed close to the bottom thereof.

'10. A structure as in claim 9, with means for rotating the beaterstructure with the forward movement of the housing.

11. A seed gathering device including a housing arranged to be drawnalong the ground in parallel and close relationship to one side of a rowof plants to be acted on; the ends and bottom of the housing being open;means supporting the housing sothat said bottom is a predetermineddistance from the ground, means for deflecting the tops of the plantslaterally into the housing from the bottom thereof, means in the housingfor removing the seeds from thetops ALBERT M. JONES.

